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{{short description|English rock and roll singer}}
{{Short description|English rock and roll singer (1933–2023)}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
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| birth_name = Charles William Harris
| birth_name = Charles William Harris
| alias =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1933|03|25}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|df=yes|1933|03|25}}
| birth_place = [[Bermondsey]], London, UK
| birth_place = [[Bermondsey]], London, England
| death_date =
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|4|27|1933|3|25|df=y}}
| death_place =
| death_place =
| origin =
| origin =
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| genre = [[Rock and roll]], pop
| genre = [[Rock and roll]], pop
| occupation = Singer
| occupation = Singer
| years_active = 1957–present
| years_active = 1957–2023
| label = [[Decca Records|Decca]], [[HMV Records|HMV]], [[Polydor Records|Polydor]], [[Parlophone]], and others
| label = [[Decca Records|Decca]], [[HMV Records|HMV]], [[Polydor Records|Polydor]], [[Parlophone]], and others
| associated_acts =
| associated_acts =
| website =
| website =
}}
}}

'''Wee Willie Harris''' (born '''Charles William Harris''', 25 March 1933) is an English [[rock and roll]] singer. He is best known for his energetic stage shows and TV performances since the 1950s, when he was known as "Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll".<ref name=rockabilly>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabillyeurope.com/artists/weewillieharris.htm |title=Wee Willie Harris, Rockin' At The Two I's |publisher=Rockabillyeurope.com |date= |accessdate=6 February 2014}}</ref>
'''Charles William Harris''' (25 March 1933 – 27 April 2023), better known by his stage name of '''Wee Willie Harris''', was an English [[rock and roll]] singer. He is best known for his energetic stage shows and TV performances starting in the 1950s, when he was known as "Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll".<ref name=rockabilly>{{cite web|url=http://www.rockabillyeurope.com/artists/weewillieharris.htm |title=Wee Willie Harris, Rockin' At The Two I's |website=Rockabillyeurope.com |date= |access-date=6 February 2014}}</ref>


==Life and career==
==Life and career==
Line 35: Line 36:
| location= London
| location= London
| page= 49
| page= 49
| id= CN 5585}}</ref> He began performing at [[The 2i's Coffee Bar]] in [[Soho]], London,<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years"/> where he was the resident piano player, performing with [[Tommy Steele]], [[Adam Faith]], [[Screaming Lord Sutch]] and others. He was named for his 5' 2" height.<ref name=billyfury>{{cite web|url=http://www.billyfury.com/wider_world/weewillieharris/willie.htm |title=WW Harris Esq |publisher=Billyfury.com |date= |accessdate=6 February 2014}}</ref> In November 1957, he was picked by the [[television producer|TV producer]], [[Jack Good (producer)|Jack Good]], to appear in the [[BBC Television|BBC]] show ''[[Six-Five Special]]''. His appearances on the show led to concerns being expressed in the media about the BBC's role in "promoting teenage decadence".<ref name="Cloonan2007">{{cite book|last=Cloonan|first=Martin|title=Popular music and the state in the UK: culture, trade or industry?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pEA4JGACHiMC&pg=PA9&lpg=PA9&dq=%22Wee+Willie+Harris%22&source=bl&ots=LO6mPE8UVg&sig=CQA7l-ALEBcGPaqIH2k_Z3IMIvw&hl=en&ei=DfhSSsivOJm6jAes1amcCQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1|year=2007|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0-7546-5373-8|page=9}}</ref> His debut single, the self-penned "Rockin' At the 2 I's", was released on the [[Decca Records|Decca]] [[record label|label]] in December 1957, and was followed by several others, although none reached the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="Larkin"/>
| id= CN 5585}}</ref> He began performing at [[The 2i's Coffee Bar]] in [[Soho]], London,<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years"/> where he was the resident piano player, performing with [[Tommy Steele]], [[Adam Faith]], [[Screaming Lord Sutch]], and others. He was named for his 5' 2" height,<ref name=billyfury>{{cite web|url=http://www.billyfury.com/wider_world/weewillieharris/willie.htm |title=WW Harris Esq |website=Billyfury.com |date= |access-date=6 February 2014}}</ref> and in tribute to [[Little Richard]].<ref name=cellarful /> In November 1957, he was picked by [[television producer|TV producer]] [[Jack Good (producer)|Jack Good]] to appear in the [[BBC Television|BBC]] show ''[[Six-Five Special]]''. His appearances on the show led to concerns being expressed in the media about the BBC's role in "promoting teenage decadence".<ref name="Cloonan2007">{{cite book|last=Cloonan|first=Martin|title=Popular music and the state in the UK: culture, trade or industry?|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pEA4JGACHiMC&q=%22Wee+Willie+Harris%22&pg=PA9|year=2007|publisher=Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.|isbn=978-0-7546-5373-8|page=9}}</ref> His debut single, the self-penned "Rockin' At the 2 I's", was released on the [[Decca Records|Decca]] [[record label|label]] in December 1957, and was followed by several others, although none reached the [[UK Singles Chart]].<ref name="Larkin"/>


He became a popular performer on TV shows and in [[concert|live performances]], and was known for his unrelenting energy, multicoloured dyed hair (often green, orange or pink), and clothes including "larger-than-life stage jackets that looked like the coat hanger was still inside, tight drainpipe trousers, and a huge polka-dot bow tie".<ref name=amg>{{cite web|author=[[Cub Koda]] |url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/wee-willie-harris-mn0001178621 |title=Wee Willie Harris &#124; Biography |publisher=AllMusic |date= |accessdate=6 February 2014}}</ref> Another critic wrote that: "He gyrates like an exploding Catherine wheel, emitting growls, squeals and what sounds like severe hiccupping".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roganhouse.co.uk/rh_gal080407p.html |title=Wee Willie Harris |publisher=Rogan House |date= |accessdate=6 February 2014}}</ref> [[Paul McCartney]] and [[John Lennon]] reportedly queued for his autograph when he played in [[Liverpool]] in 1958.<ref name=rockabilly/>
He became a popular performer on TV shows and in [[concert|live performances]], and was known for his energy, multicoloured dyed hair (often green, orange, or pink), and clothes including "larger-than-life stage jackets that looked like the coat hanger was still inside, tight [[drainpipe trousers]], and a huge polka-dot bow tie".<ref name=amg>{{cite web|author=Cub Koda|author-link=Cub Koda|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/wee-willie-harris-mn0001178621 |title=Wee Willie Harris &#124; Biography |website=[[AllMusic]] |date= |access-date=6 February 2014}}</ref> Another critic wrote that: "He gyrates like an exploding [[Catherine wheel (firework)|Catherine wheel]], emitting growls, squeals and what sounds like severe hiccupping".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.roganhouse.co.uk/rh_gal080407p.html |title=Wee Willie Harris |publisher=Rogan House |date= |access-date=6 February 2014}}</ref> [[Paul McCartney]] and [[John Lennon]] reportedly queued for his autograph when he played in [[Liverpool]] in 1958.<ref name=rockabilly/> According to Harris, the idea for dyeing his hair pink originally came from his manager, professional wrestler and wrestling promoter [[Paul Lincoln]], who was inspired by American wrestler [[Gorgeous George]].<ref name=cellarful>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=A Cellarful Of Noise |url=https://recordcollectormag.com/articles/a-cellarful-of-noise |magazine=[[Record Collector]]|date=8 October 2007 |access-date=6 September 2021}}</ref>


In May 1960, he joined a tour of the UK featuring [[Conway Twitty]], [[Freddy Cannon]] and [[Johnny Preston]].<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years"/> He continued to record in the 1960s, for [[HMV Records|HMV]], [[Polydor Records|Polydor]] and [[Parlophone]], and continued to perform in the UK as well as in [[Israel]], Spain and elsewhere, and on [[cruise ship]]s.
In May 1960, he joined a tour of the UK featuring [[Conway Twitty]], [[Freddy Cannon]], and [[Johnny Preston]].<ref name="NME Rock 'N' Roll Years"/> He continued to record in the 1960s, for [[HMV Records|HMV]], [[Polydor Records|Polydor]], and [[Parlophone]], and continued to perform in the UK as well as in [[Israel]], Spain, and on [[cruise ship]]s.


In the mid 1970s, he lived in [[Prestwich]], near [[Manchester]].{{cn|date=April 2020}}. He resurfaced in the late 1970s as a nostalgia act, after [[Ian Dury]] mentioned him in the song "[[Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3]]".<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=[[Colin Larkin (writer)|Colin Larkin]]|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=576}}</ref> Harris later recorded an album dedicated to Dury, ''Twenty Reasons To Be Cheerful'' (2000), and his early [[sound recording and reproduction|recordings]] were released on CD in 1999.<ref name=billyfury/> In 1991, he briefly featured in the [[music video|video]] for [[Hale & Pace]]'s "The Stonk" contribution to [[Comic Relief]] and, in 2003, he released the album ''Rag Moppin''', backed by the Alabama Slammers.
In the mid 1970s, he lived in [[Prestwich]], near [[Manchester]].{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} He resurfaced in the late 1970s as a nostalgia act, after [[Ian Dury]] mentioned him in the song "[[Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3]]".<ref name="Larkin">{{cite book|title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music|The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]|editor=Colin Larkin|editor-link=Colin Larkin (writer)|publisher=[[Virgin Books]]|date=1997|edition=Concise|isbn=1-85227-745-9|page=576}}</ref> Harris later recorded an album dedicated to Dury, ''Twenty Reasons To Be Cheerful'' (2000), and his early [[sound recording and reproduction|recordings]] were released on CD in 1999.<ref name=billyfury/> In 1991, he briefly featured in the music video for [[Hale & Pace]]'s "The Stonk" contribution to [[Comic Relief]] and, in 2003, he released the album ''Rag Moppin''', backed by the Alabama Slammers.


In 2005, Harris appeared as a "mystery guest" on the comedy music quiz programme ''[[Never Mind the Buzzcocks]]'', and was easily identified.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0659034/ |title="Never Mind the Buzzcocks" Episode #16.5 (2005) |publisher=IIMDb.com|accessdate=14 September 2010 }}</ref> In 2011, he was interviewed by [[Melvyn Bragg]] as part of the series "Reel History of Britain" talking about Rock 'n' Roll in Britain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jtmff |title="Reel History of Britain" Episode "Britain's First Teenagers (broadcast 6 Sep 2011) |publisher=Bbc.co.uk |accessdate=6 October 2011 }}</ref>
In 2005, Harris appeared as a "mystery guest" on the comedy music quiz programme ''[[Never Mind the Buzzcocks]]'', and was easily identified.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0659034/ |title="Never Mind the Buzzcocks" Episode #16.5 (2005) |website=IMDb.com|access-date=14 September 2010 }}</ref> In 2011, he was interviewed by [[Melvyn Bragg]] as part of the series ''[[Reel History of Britain]]'', talking about rock and roll in Britain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00jtmff |title="Reel History of Britain" Episode "Britain's First Teenagers (broadcast 6 Sep 2011) |website=Bbc.co.uk |access-date=6 October 2011 }}</ref>


In 2018, Rollercoaster Records published ''I Go Ape! - The Wee Willie Harris Story'' by Rob Finnis, a 88 page illustrated biography accompanied by a 30-track CD, featuring the best of Harris's rock and roll recordings.<ref name="rollercoasterrecords.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.rollercoasterrecords.com/|title=Rollercoaster Records Rock'n'Roll 50s 60s vinyl Singles Ep LP re-issues|website=Rollercoasterrecords.com|accessdate=29 April 2019}}</ref>
Rollercoaster Records published ''I Go Ape! - The Wee Willie Harris Story'' by Rob Finnis, a 88 page illustrated biography accompanied by a 30-track CD, featuring the best of Harris's rock and roll recordings, in 2018.<ref name="rollercoasterrecords.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.rollercoasterrecords.com/|title=Rollercoaster Records Rock'n'Roll 50s 60s vinyl Singles Ep LP re-issues|website=Rollercoasterrecords.com|access-date=29 April 2019}}</ref>

Wee Willie Harris died on 27 April 2023, at age 90.<ref>{{cite news |title=Er inspirierte die Beatles: Wee Willie Harris ist gestorben |url=https://www.promiflash.de/news/2023/04/28/er-inspirierte-die-beatles-wee-willie-harris-ist-gestorben.html |access-date=28 April 2023 |publisher=Promiflash |date=28 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Marshall |first1=Michelle |title=Wee Willie Harris dead: 'Wild man of rock and roll' and Beatles inspiration dies aged 90 |url=https://www.express.co.uk/celebrity-news/1763940/wee-willie-harris-dead-death |access-date=28 April 2023 |publisher=The Express |date=28 April 2023}}</ref>


==Discography==
==Discography==
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*"Love Bug Crawl" / "Rosie Lee" (Decca, 1958)
*"Love Bug Crawl" / "Rosie Lee" (Decca, 1958)
*"Got A Match" / "No Chemise, Please!" (Decca, 1958)
*"Got A Match" / "No Chemise, Please!" (Decca, 1958)
*"Wild One" / "Little Bitty Girl" (Decca, 1960)
*"Wild One" / "[[Little Bitty Girl]]" (Decca, 1960)
*"You Must Be Joking" / "Better To Have Loved" (HMV, 1963)
*"You Must Be Joking" / "Better To Have Loved" (HMV, 1963)
*"Listen to the River Roll Along" / "Try Moving Baby" (Polydor, 1966)
*"Listen to the River Roll Along" / "Try Moving Baby" (Polydor, 1966)
Line 64: Line 67:
===Albums===
===Albums===
*''I Go Ape'' (Arton, 1962)
*''I Go Ape'' (Arton, 1962)
*''Wee Willie Harris Goes Ape'' (Ace 178, 1986)
*''Twenty Reasons To Be Cheerful'' (Fury, 2000)
*''Twenty Reasons To Be Cheerful'' (Fury, 2000)
*''Rag Moppin''' (Pollytone, 2003)
*''Rag Moppin''' (Pollytone, 2003)
Line 71: Line 75:
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
⚫
{{authority control}}
* {{discogs artist|Wee Willie Harris}}
* {{IMDb name|0365443}}
* {{NPG name|id=60024}}

⚫
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Wee Willie}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Wee Willie}}
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:1933 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[Category:English pop singers]]
[[Category:English pop singers]]
[[Category:English male singers]]
[[Category:English male singers]]
[[Category:English pop pianists]]
[[Category:English pop pianists]]
[[Category:Musicians from the London Borough of Southwark]]
[[Category:People from Bermondsey]]
[[Category:People from Bermondsey]]
[[Category:British rock and roll musicians]]
[[Category:British rock and roll musicians]]
[[Category:British male pianists]]
[[Category:English male pianists]]
[[Category:21st-century pianists]]
[[Category:21st-century British pianists]]
[[Category:21st-century British male musicians]]
[[Category:21st-century English male musicians]]
[[Category:Singers from the London Borough of Southwark]]

Latest revision as of 04:27, 24 July 2024

Wee Willie Harris
Birth nameCharles William Harris
Born(1933-03-25)25 March 1933
Bermondsey, London, England
Died27 April 2023(2023-04-27) (aged 90)
GenresRock and roll, pop
OccupationSinger
Instrument(s)Vocals, piano, guitar, double bass
Years active1957–2023
LabelsDecca, HMV, Polydor, Parlophone, and others

Charles William Harris (25 March 1933 – 27 April 2023), better known by his stage name of Wee Willie Harris, was an English rock and roll singer. He is best known for his energetic stage shows and TV performances starting in the 1950s, when he was known as "Britain's wild man of rock 'n' roll".[1]

Life and career

[edit]

Born in Bermondsey, Harris left his job at a Peek Freans bakery in London to start his music career.[2] He began performing at The 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London,[2] where he was the resident piano player, performing with Tommy Steele, Adam Faith, Screaming Lord Sutch, and others. He was named for his 5' 2" height,[3] and in tribute to Little Richard.[4] In November 1957, he was picked by TV producer Jack Good to appear in the BBC show Six-Five Special. His appearances on the show led to concerns being expressed in the media about the BBC's role in "promoting teenage decadence".[5] His debut single, the self-penned "Rockin' At the 2 I's", was released on the Decca label in December 1957, and was followed by several others, although none reached the UK Singles Chart.[6]

He became a popular performer on TV shows and in live performances, and was known for his energy, multicoloured dyed hair (often green, orange, or pink), and clothes including "larger-than-life stage jackets that looked like the coat hanger was still inside, tight drainpipe trousers, and a huge polka-dot bow tie".[7] Another critic wrote that: "He gyrates like an exploding Catherine wheel, emitting growls, squeals and what sounds like severe hiccupping".[8] Paul McCartney and John Lennon reportedly queued for his autograph when he played in Liverpool in 1958.[1] According to Harris, the idea for dyeing his hair pink originally came from his manager, professional wrestler and wrestling promoter Paul Lincoln, who was inspired by American wrestler Gorgeous George.[4]

In May 1960, he joined a tour of the UK featuring Conway Twitty, Freddy Cannon, and Johnny Preston.[2] He continued to record in the 1960s, for HMV, Polydor, and Parlophone, and continued to perform in the UK as well as in Israel, Spain, and on cruise ships.

In the mid 1970s, he lived in Prestwich, near Manchester.[citation needed] He resurfaced in the late 1970s as a nostalgia act, after Ian Dury mentioned him in the song "Reasons to be Cheerful, Part 3".[6] Harris later recorded an album dedicated to Dury, Twenty Reasons To Be Cheerful (2000), and his early recordings were released on CD in 1999.[3] In 1991, he briefly featured in the music video for Hale & Pace's "The Stonk" contribution to Comic Relief and, in 2003, he released the album Rag Moppin', backed by the Alabama Slammers.

In 2005, Harris appeared as a "mystery guest" on the comedy music quiz programme Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and was easily identified.[9] In 2011, he was interviewed by Melvyn Bragg as part of the series Reel History of Britain, talking about rock and roll in Britain.[10]

Rollercoaster Records published I Go Ape! - The Wee Willie Harris Story by Rob Finnis, a 88 page illustrated biography accompanied by a 30-track CD, featuring the best of Harris's rock and roll recordings, in 2018.[11]

Wee Willie Harris died on 27 April 2023, at age 90.[12][13]

Discography

[edit]

Singles

[edit]
  • "Rockin' At The 2 I's" / "Back To School Again" (Decca, 1957)
  • "Love Bug Crawl" / "Rosie Lee" (Decca, 1958)
  • "Got A Match" / "No Chemise, Please!" (Decca, 1958)
  • "Wild One" / "Little Bitty Girl" (Decca, 1960)
  • "You Must Be Joking" / "Better To Have Loved" (HMV, 1963)
  • "Listen to the River Roll Along" / "Try Moving Baby" (Polydor, 1966)
  • "Someone's in the Kitchen With Diana" / "Walk With Peter And Paul" (Parlophone, 1966)
  • "Together" / "Rock 'n' Roll Jamboree" (Decca, 1974)

EPs

[edit]
  • Rocking With Wee Willie (Decca, 1958)
  • I Go Ape (Arton, 1960)

Albums

[edit]
  • I Go Ape (Arton, 1962)
  • Wee Willie Harris Goes Ape (Ace 178, 1986)
  • Twenty Reasons To Be Cheerful (Fury, 2000)
  • Rag Moppin' (Pollytone, 2003)
  • I Go Ape - Rockin' With Wee Willie Harris (Rollercoaster, 2018) [11]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Wee Willie Harris, Rockin' At The Two I's". Rockabillyeurope.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  2. ^ a b c Tobler, John (1992). NME Rock 'N' Roll Years (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 49. CN 5585.
  3. ^ a b "WW Harris Esq". Billyfury.com. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  4. ^ a b "A Cellarful Of Noise". Record Collector. 8 October 2007. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
  5. ^ Cloonan, Martin (2007). Popular music and the state in the UK: culture, trade or industry?. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-7546-5373-8.
  6. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Popular Music (Concise ed.). Virgin Books. p. 576. ISBN 1-85227-745-9.
  7. ^ Cub Koda. "Wee Willie Harris | Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  8. ^ "Wee Willie Harris". Rogan House. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  9. ^ ""Never Mind the Buzzcocks" Episode #16.5 (2005)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 14 September 2010.
  10. ^ ""Reel History of Britain" Episode "Britain's First Teenagers (broadcast 6 Sep 2011)". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 6 October 2011.
  11. ^ a b "Rollercoaster Records Rock'n'Roll 50s 60s vinyl Singles Ep LP re-issues". Rollercoasterrecords.com. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  12. ^ "Er inspirierte die Beatles: Wee Willie Harris ist gestorben". Promiflash. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
  13. ^ Marshall, Michelle (28 April 2023). "Wee Willie Harris dead: 'Wild man of rock and roll' and Beatles inspiration dies aged 90". The Express. Retrieved 28 April 2023.
[edit]
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